Badger Cull

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate has been made of the annual cost of (a) purchase of equipment, (b) transport, (c) staff training, (d) employment and salary and (e) other costs in relation to carrying out a large-scale badger cull in England.

Ben Bradshaw: We are currently analysing the responses to a public consultation on both the principle and method of introducing a badger culling policy. No decisions have yet been made. A Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment was published alongside the consultation document and is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/badgers-tbcontrols/partial-ria.pdf.

Bovine TB

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department offers to farmers on protecting their herds from bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Advice to farmers on protecting their herds from bovine tuberculosis is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/index.htm#protect.
	In addition, every cattle owner in Great Britain has received 'TB in cattle -educing the risk pre- and post movement testing in GB'. This booklet encourages herd owners to promote high standards of disease prevention and control through farm health planning. It also strongly advises herd owners to discuss the benefits of herd health planning with their local veterinary inspector or veterinary practitioner.

Bovine TB

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the link between badgers and bovine tuberculosis in cattle; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The evidence for a link between badgers and bovine tuberculosis in cattle was reviewed in 1997 by the Independent Scientific Review Group, led by Professor John Krebs. The Krebs group concluded that 'the sum of evidence strongly supports the view that, in Britain, badgers were a significant source of infection in cattle'.
	More recently, experts 1 have demonstrated that badgers are a maintenance host for bovine tuberculosis. Although existing research does not quantify the specific contribution made by badgers to the appearance of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, patterns of infection in cattle and badgers are closely linked.
	1 Donnelly, C.A. , Woodroffe, R., Cox, D.R., Bourne, F.J., Cheeseman, C.L., Clifton-Hadley, R.S., Wei, G., Gettinby, G., Gilks, P., Jenkins, H., Johnston, W.T., Le Ferve, A.M., Mclnerney, J.P. & Morrison, W.I. (2005) Positive and negative effects of widespread badger culling on cattle tuberculosis. Nature, doi.10.1038/nature04454 (http://www.doi.org/).

National Farmers' Union Conference

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis she stated at the recent National Farmers Union conference that the Prime Minister is the Minister for Biosecurity.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State's speech at the recent National Farmers' Union conference did not say that the Prime Minister is the Minister for Biosecurity.

Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the commitments set out in the letter of the Minister of State of 8 February 2006 (Ref SL/001336/06) in relation the Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority and the complaints of the chairman of the Riparian and Mooring Rights Owners Group will be met; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In my letter of 8 February I undertook to keep the hon. Member informed of progress. We are now treating this case as a priority and I will provide the hon. Member and his constituent with a substantive reply as soon as possible.

Television Licence

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Tamworth have been prosecuted for not having a television licence in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not possible to identify those prosecutions in Tamworth as the data is not collected at this level of detail.

Armed Forces (MRSA)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have contracted MRSA in each of the last three years; where the infection is believed to have been contracted in each case; and what the cause is believed to have been in each case.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence does not collate information on how many Service personnel have contracted MRSA. Furthermore, MRSA is not a statutorily notifiable disease, and therefore not all cases of MRSA among Service personnel will necessarily be known about by the Defence Medical Services.
	I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1398W,the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) to the hon Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone).

Armed Forces Pay Review Body

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if 
	(1)  he will place in the Library a transcript of his oral evidence to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in the course of the preparation of its 35th report;
	(2)  he will place in the Library the transcripts of oral evidence given to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body by the (a) Chief of Defence Staff, (b) Permanent Under-Secretary, (c) principal personnel officers, (d) Director of Reserve Forces and Cadets and (e) Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets).

John Reid: The Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) is an independent body. It calls for evidence from Defence Ministers and officials which is given in private. No formal transcript is made, but the AFPRB reflects the evidence provided as necessary in its report—a copy of which is placed in the Library of the House.

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to ratify the protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) before the CCW review conference in November 2006.

John Reid: holding answer 17 March 2006
	United Kingdom has ratified the first four Protocols of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. We are committed to ratification of Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War and aim to do so at the earliest opportunity.

10 Downing Street

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list hon. Members who have security clearance for access to 10 Downing Street.

Tony Blair: It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment on security issues.

Lord Levy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Prime Minister what is the role of Lord Levy in Her Majesty's Government.

Tony Blair: .

Bicycle Repairs (VAT)

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will apply for permission to the EU to reduce the rate of VAT levied on labour-intensive services in respect of bicycle repairs;
	(2)  pursuant to the ECOFIN agreement in February, what plans he has to apply for permission to reduce the rate of VAT levied on labour-intensive services in respect of district heating.

Dawn Primarolo: The VAT reduced rate for the repair of bicycles is one of a number introduced into EU legislation on an experimental basis whose objective is to create employment opportunities by stimulating demand through lower prices. The Government have always chosen not to participate, as we believe that our employment objectives are better targeted through measures such as the welfare to work strategy and New Deal, which have contributed to the 2.3 million rise in employment since 1997.
	District heating does not form part of the labour intensive services experiment, however the agreement reached at the January ECOFIN meeting does allow member states to apply for this reduced rate. We continue to review whether this reduced rate would offer the best- targeted and most efficient support for our social objectives.

Tax Credits

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to reduce tax credit fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 14 February 2006, Official Report, column 1849W.

Tax Credits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit has been in each year since their introduction; and what percentage of these costs was accounted for by administration.

Dawn Primarolo: Expenditure on Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit in 2003–04 and 2004–05 can be found in Note 3 of the Trust Statement for the Department of Inland Revenue 2003–04 and 2004–05 Accounts respectively.
	For information in administration costs I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) Member for Wycombe (Mr Goodman) on 16 March 2006 (59081).

North West Regional Development Agency

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the consultants employed by the North West regional development agency in each of the last five years; and how much was paid to each.

Alun Michael: Please see following table.
	
		£000
		
			 Supplier 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total 
		
		
			 KPMG 93,147 48,428 148,408 406,625 596,268 1,292,876 
			 Sema UK Ltd. 87,256 103,000 136,188 7,143 — 333,586 
			 Dyer Associates 120,150 72,391 30,085 44,138 240 267,004 
			 Regeneris Consulting Ltd. — 15,681 — 45,890 124,998 186,569 
			 Dtz Pieda Consulting 110,248 6,613 — 10,000 43,879 170,740 
			 Sqw Ltd. 31,370 21,060 1,216 94,229 4,300 152,175 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 26,511 17,732 — 73,698 27,924 145,864 
			 Athito Consulting Ltd. — — — — 96,600 96,600 
			 Mr. John A Jones 15,941 28,352 20,401 11,652 17,159 93,505 
			 Turner & Townsend 22,975 23,900 6,610 35,971 — 89,456 
			 Amtek UK Ltd. — — 83,361 — — 83,361 
			 York Aviation — — — 70,591 12,500 83,091 
			 The Hay Group Management Ltd. 37,077 18,475 21,055 5,600 — 82,207 
			 LKW Consulting Ltd. — — — 14,700 64,200 78,900 
			 Deluca — — — 78,103 — 78,103 
			 Oxford Intelligence — — — 69,000 — 69,000 
			 J4B plc — — — — 66,173 66,173 
			 Norman Broadbent — — — 63,577 — 63,577 
			 Firecracker Projects Ltd. — — — 17,772 35,968 53,740 
			 Ultima Business Solutions — — — 27,600 25,900 53,500 
			 Pion Economics — 9,250 41,950 — — 51,200 
			 Sue Southam — — 32,653 16,087 — 48,740 
			 Strategem Ltd. 10,500 — — 27,200 6,400 44,100 
			 Jmp Consultants Ltd — — 41,576 2,001 — 43,577 
			 Bura — — — 36,000 — 36,000 
			 Tamesis Business Communications — — 7,662 27,043 — 34,700 
			 Whitehead Mann — — — 24,200 8,206 32,400 
			 Dehavilland Information Services Plc — — 31,440 — — 31,440 
			 Deloitte Mcs Limited — — — 7,297 23,397 30,694 
			 Amjec Ltd — — — 28,800 — 28,800 
			 Intuition Group Ltd 6,949 2,850 8,925 9,525 — 28,248 
			 Locum Destination Consulting Ltd — — 27,783 — — 27,783 
			 Penna Executive Search — — — 26,705 621 27,325 
			 Colliers Cre Plc — — — — 26,770 26,770 
			 Entec Uk Limited — — — — 26,285 26,285 
			 Selby And Mills — — — 16,023 10,006 26,029 
			 Paul Robertson — — 8,200 16,975 — 25,175 
			 Wendy Davison Marketing Consultant — — 25,000 — — 25,000 
			 Freelance Marketing Solutions — — 25,000 — — 25,000 
			 AMP — — 12,000 12,000 — 24,000 
			 Rembrandt Consulting Limited — 19,195 4,630 — — 23,825 
			 J.P. Clarke — — 12,169 10,977 — 23,147 
			 Leyer Pritzkow — — 1,692 21,442 — 23,134 
			 Silcock Dawson And Partners — 5,950 5,750 10,550 — 22,250 
			 Hfm Consulting Limited — — — — 21,765 21,765 
			 Penna Group Finance — — — 4,950 16,658 21,608 
			 Tweeds 21,472 — — — — 21,472 
			 Ekos Limited — — 21,230 21,230 — — 
			 John Glester Consultancy Services 20,895 — — — — 20,895 
			 Robertson Cooper Limited — — — 2,472 17,692 20,164 
			 Gibson Thorpe Associates 4,046 — — 15,764 — 19,809 
			 Macnicol Graham — — — — 19,694 19,694 
			 S and S Data Ltd — — — 18,085 — 18,085 
			 Inno Tsd — — — — 17,500 17,500 
			 Giles Pott — — 16,500 — — 16,500 
			 Rocket Multimedia Limited — — 16,314 — — 16,314 
			 Future 4 Development and Consultancy — — — 16,150 — 16,150 
			 Oxgen Marketing Limited — — — 16,000 — 16,000 
			 The Regional Policy Forum — 15,000 570 — — 15,570 
			 Creative Concern — — — 15,500 — 15,500 
			 Gw 135 Ltd T/A Bucknall Austin — — — 13,550 1,305 14,855 
			 Dbi Consulting — — — 13,953 — 13,953 
			 Robinson Keane Search and Selection — — 13,333 — — 13,333 
			 Ebrahim K Bassa and Associates — — — — 13,300 13,300 
			 Alpha Consolidated Training — 9,610 3,600 — — 13,210 
			 Arthur D Little Limited — — — 12,000 — 12,000 
			 Sandberg Lip — — — — 11,346 11,346 
			 The Campaign Company Limited — — — 10,918 — 10,918 
			 Eps Consulting — — — — 10,539 10,539 
			 Dove Talk Ltd — — — — 10,142 10,142 
			 Alastair Wheeler — — — 4,875 5,259 10,134 
			 Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and Co Ltd — — — 10,055 — 10,055 
			 M S Ashton — — 10,000 — — 10,000 
			 Synergy Associates — — 10,000 — — 10,000 
			 Joanne Hughes Market Research — — 10,000 — — 10,000 
			 Other 41,252 17,813 59,783 123,902 70,136 312,88 
			 Grand Total 649,788 435,300 873,854 1,647,287 1,454,358 5,060,588

Bioscience and Technology Institute

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the remit is of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment inquiry into the Bioscience and Technology Institute.

Angela Smith: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is required under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 to appoint Company Inspectors when appropriate where a complaint is received from the public or members or officers of the company or any body or person connected with the company. The Department's function in this area is to protect the public and to regulate the market place.
	In the case of the Bioscience and Technology Institute, inspectors were appointed by the Department on 22 December 2005 as a result of a complaint received by it.
	As with all such enquiries, the Inspector's terms of reference are to look into the substance of a complaint and any other matters which they may encounter during their investigation.

Caravan Sector

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the (a) static and (b) touring caravan sector has contributed to the economy of Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Angela Smith: In 2004, Domestic Holidaymakers spent £11.3 million during holidays staying in static caravans, and £1.3 million during holidays in touring caravans. An estimated £3.3 million was generated from visitors to Northern Ireland, choosing to stay in the caravan and camping sector. An annual breakdown is provided in the following tables.
	
		Estimated spend for visitors staying in caravans/camping
		
			 £ million 
			  Spend 
		
		
			 2004 3.3 
			 2003 3.0 
			 2002 2.7 
			 2001 2.8 
			 2000 2.7 
			 1999 2.7 
			 1998 2.2 
			 1997 2.1 
			 1996 2.1 
			 1995 2.1 
		
	
	
		Estimated spend for domestic holidaymakers staying in towed and static caravans
		
			 £ million 
			  Towed caravans Static caravans (owned and not owned) 
		
		
			 2004 1.3 11.3 
			 2003 3.2 13.0 
			 2002 5.8 11.9 
			 2001 4.8 16.2 
			 2000 4.8 15.5 
			 1999 5.5 16.1 
			 1998 1.6 16.6 
			 1997 1.7 13.9 
			 1996 3.3 18.4 
			 1995 6.0 14.9

Coastal Erosion

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Department of the Northern Ireland Office is responsible for (a) the prevention of coastal erosion and (b) its effect on tourism in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: In response to (a) I would refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) on 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1232W.
	Regarding (b) , our policies to tackle coastal erosion are guided by the Bateman formula, an historic interdepartmental agreement. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) is responsible for coastal protection works associated with schemes relating to tourism. DETI has not carried out an assessment of the effect of coastal erosion on tourism in Northern Ireland.

Policing Board

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the members chosen for the Policing Board for Northern Ireland; and when he expects to announce the final composition.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Member for Neath announced the new membership of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on 13 March 2006.
	The membership is as follows:
	Ian Paisley Jnr MLA
	William Hay MLA
	Arlene Foster MLA
	Peter Weir MLA
	Fred Cobain MLA
	Danny Kennedy MLA
	Alex Attwood MLA
	Dolores Kelly MLA
	Professor Sir Desmond Rea
	Joe Byrne
	Barry Gilligan
	Pauline McCabe
	Rosaleen Moore
	Suneil Sharma
	Dawn Purvis
	Brian Rea MBE JP
	Trevor Ringland
	Brendan Duddy
	Deirdre MacBride

Households (Statistics)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2228W, on households (statistics), what the average population is of each tier.

Yvette Cooper: The average population in each tier in England is as follows:
	(a) District council (All local authorities excluding unitary local authorities, metropolitan councils and London boroughs)—97,000
	(b) County council (all county councils excluding metropolitan councils)—738,000
	(c) Unitary authorities (All unitary local authorities in England excluding London boroughs and metropolitan councils)—180,000
	(d) Metropolitan council (all metropolitan council areas)—303,000
	(e) London borough (all London boroughs including City of London)—224,000
	Source:
	ONS 2003 mid year estimated resident population estimates.

Dangerous/Careless Driving

Peter Bone: To ask the Solicitor-General what criteria are used by the Crown Prosecution Service in distinguishing between a case of (a) dangerous and (b) careless driving where someone is killed.

Mike O'Brien: Crown Prosecutors apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors in every case to decide if there is sufficient evidence of (a) dangerous driving or (b) careless driving. What amounts to sufficient evidence will vary according to the facts and circumstances of each case, and the fact of a death, while a very important factor, is not determinative of dangerousness or carelessness in any case. National charging standards exist to assist prosecutors to make consistent and appropriate decisions according to the evidence in each case.
	Dangerous driving can range from a prolonged and deliberate course of driving with disregard for safety of other road users to a single but serious misjudgement. Typically, careless driving will consist of more minor errors or misjudgements. In deciding between the offences, prosecutors must take into account the manner of the driving and the circumstances in which the driving took place when deciding how far the driving departed from the required standard. To prove a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, the law requires the prosecution to show that the driving fell far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way was dangerous. To prove careless driving it is necessary for the prosecution to establish that the driving fell below that of a reasonable, prudent and competent driver.

Criminal Cases (Competitive Tendering)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2045W, on criminal cases (competitive tendering), when she will publish the research into the impact on ethnic minorities of competitive tendering.

Harriet Harman: The report to which the hon. Member refers has not yet been finalised. The Legal Services Commission intends to publish it in due course.

Criminal Court (Salaried Defenders)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1005W, on the criminal court (salaried defenders), if she will place in the Library a copy of the PKF report prepared as part of Lord Carter's review.

Harriet Harman: The PKF report to Lord Carter of Coles, has not yet been completed. PKF is undertaking some further research in conjunction with Otterburn Legal Consultancy. The combined research will be published in due course.

Legal Aid

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1007W, on legal aid, if she will place in the Library a summary of the Frontier Economics research.

Harriet Harman: Frontier Economics is providing ongoing economic expertise to Lord Carter on a consultancy basis. Frontier has not undertaken any specific research as part of Lord Carter's independent review of legal aid procurement.

Rendition

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column38WS, on rendition allegations (inquiries), whether the UK requires the US to seek permission to render detainees via UK territory and airspace, including overseas territories.

Kim Howells: Yes. We would expect the US authorities to seek permission to render detainees via UK territory and airspace, including overseas territories, and we will grant permission only if we are satisfied that the rendition would accord with UK law and our international obligations.

A-levels

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the compulsory requirements are for a student undertaking an A-level course of study.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 16 March 2006
	There are no compulsory requirements for students undertaking an A level course of study. However, schools and colleges do set minimum requirements for 16–19 year olds embarking on A level programmes to ensure that they will cope with the programme.

Part-time Education

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what provision her Department has made for parents who wish their children to go to school part-time and be home-schooled part-time;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on home schooling;
	(3)  how many children in (a) Leicester and (b) England were home-schooled in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what research her Department has evaluated on home schooling; and what the conclusions were of the research;
	(5)  how many local education authorities (a) allow children to enrol in schools on a part-time basis and (b) have children that have enrolled in schools on a part-time basis
	(6)  what estimate she has made of (a) how many children are enrolled in schools on a part-time basis and (b) what proportion of those children are also home-schooled.

Jacqui Smith: Parents of children of compulsory school age are required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education, by attending school or through other arrangements. They may exercise their right to educate their children at home full-time on a temporary or permanent basis. Schools have the discretion to agree arrangements that combine part-time school attendance with home education.
	328,344 children currently attend school on a part-time basis across all 150 LAs. We do not collect data on the reasons that these pupils are attending on a part-time basis, which may include education in reception classes, reintegration to school following illness, and partial home-education.
	My Department has not evaluated any research on home education.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the replies given on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1916W and 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1566W.

School Finance (Swindon)

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding per pupil was provided to schools in Swindon in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: Total funding per pupil aged 3–19 (real terms) in Swindon was £2,790 in 1997–98 and £3,790 in 2005–06.
	These figures include all funding for education via Education Formula Spending (EPS) and education grants allocated at an authority level. They exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and the Learning and Skills Council, and are in real terms.
	Notes:
	Price Base: Real terms at 2004–05 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 December 2005.
	Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment / Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3–4 year olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
	Status: 2005–06 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Special Educational Needs

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in England have a special educational needs coordinating officer.

Maria Eagle: This information is not collected centrally. Under The Education (Special Educational Needs) (Information) (England) Regulations 1999 the governing body of every maintained mainstream school must publish prescribed information, including the name of the person who is responsible for co-ordinating the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), whether or not the person is known as the SEN co-ordinator.

Training Schools

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many schools in the (a) primary and (b) secondary sector are training schools;
	(2)  how many schools in the (a) primary and (b) secondary sector are to be designated as training schools in 2007.

Jacqui Smith: There are currently 244 operational Training Schools—195 secondary and 49 primary. From 2005, high performing specialist schools are able to apply for secondary Training School status at specialist re-designation. 16 new Training Schools will become operational from 1 April. Primary schools will no longer be able to apply directly for Training School status, but the Training and Development Agency are currently considering the development of a primary initiative.
	There are no set targets for 2007.
	High performing specialist schools applying for specialist re-designation will be given the opportunity to apply for Training School status beginning in 2007.

Trust Schools

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which features of proposed new trust schools will help raise standards at Clayton Hall Business and Language College in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Jacqui Smith: I refer my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Paul Farrelly) to the answer I gave him in reply to the same question he asked about Wolstanton High School and Sir Thomas Boughey High School, given on 13 March 2006, Official Report, column 1881W. The same potential benefits apply to Clayton Hall Business and Language College.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department What steps he is taking to reduce the backlog of cases at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Tony McNulty: We will continue with the wide range of measures being introduced under our five year strategy. Through these measures we will speed up decision making, introduce tighter border control and new visa regimes and increasingly apply fast track processes to determine straightforward cases. For example, our continuing success in reducing asylum intake will enable us to process older cases and the Points Based System will introduce a more efficient application process.

Benefits (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coventry, South received (a) widow's benefit, (b) housing benefit, (c) council tax credit and (d) income support in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: Widows benefit is not available broken down geographically prior to 1999. Housing benefit and council tax benefit figures are not available broken down by parliamentary constituency; local authority figures have been provided.
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Widows benefit and bereavement benefit claimants in the Coventry, South parliamentary constituency: each August 1999to 2005
		
			  Widows Benefit Bereavement Benefit 
		
		
			 August 1999 400 n/a 
			 August 2000 400 n/a 
			 August 2001 400 n/a 
			 August 2002 300 100 
			 August 2003 300 100 
			 August 2004 200 100 
			 August 2005 300 100 
		
	
	n/a=figures are not applicable.
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Bereavement Benefit, which replaced Widows Benefit for new claims, was introduced in April 2001.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent.
	
		Housing benefit and council tax benefit caseloads: Coventry city council; each August from 1997 to 2005.
		
			  Housing benefit Council tax benefit 
		
		
			 August 1997 26,200 37,900 
			 August 1998 25,700 36,800 
			 August 1999 24,300 33,100 
			 August 2000 23,300 33,500 
			 August 2001 21,400 31,100 
			 August 2002 21,100 30,400 
			 August 2003 21,200 29,900 
			 August 2004 21,500 30,800 
			 August 2005 21,600 32,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 1997 to August 2005.
	
		Income support claimants (excluding minimum income guarantee) in the Coventry, South parliamentary constituency; each August from 1997 to 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 August 1997 4,200 
			 August 1998 4,400 
			 August 1999 4,100 
			 August 2000 4,200 
			 August 2001 4,200 
			 August 2002 4,100 
			 August 2003 4,200 
			 August 2004 4,100 
			 August 2005 3,900 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for August 1999 to August 2005 are from the DWP 100 per cent. Work and Pensions longitudinal study, whilst figures for August 1997 and August 1998 are derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. totals.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Income Support figures exclude minimum income guarantee (MIG); pension credit replaced MIG on the 6 October 2003 and ended IS entitlement to customers aged 60+. Pension credit cases are not included in the figures in the table.
	Source:
	DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) and DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples.

Household Income

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what statistics his Government have produced on the persistence of poverty at levels below the 50 per cent. and 40 per cent. median income lines.

Margaret Hodge: No official statistics have been produced on these measures.
	The seventh annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators including the persistence of low income using low-income thresholds of 60 per cent. of median household income, and 70 per cent. of median household income.

Household Income

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what statistics the Government collects on sources of income broken down by level of income;
	(2)  what statistics the Government collates on income sources as a proportion of net income.

Margaret Hodge: The Family Resources Survey, a national survey of households, collects information on levels and all sources of income and is recognised as the best source of information on income. The General Household Survey, and the Expenditure and Food Survey also collect information on the source and level of income but in less detail.
	The Family Resources Survey; The General Household Survey; and The Expenditure and Food Survey are in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made with his plans to reform incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 March 2006
	We believe that the opportunity to work is a right and that it is as important as the right to equal treatment or access to services. For too long, people on incapacity benefit have been written off as incapable of work and consigned to a life on benefit. We know that a large proportion want to work and so we want to ensure that they are given the opportunity to do so. We do not believe in writing anyone off.
	On the 24 of January 2006 we published our Green Paper: "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work" which sets out our proposals for the reform of incapacity benefit. It is crucial that we get the details of these reforms right and the opinions of the public are very important. The publication of the welfare reform Green Paper began the official consultation phase, which will run until 21 April, and we invite feedback and suggestions from all interested parties as we look for the best way to move forward.

Incapacity Benefit

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of new incapacity benefit claimants aged (a) over 50 years and (b) under 50 years ended their claim within six months (i) in the Pathways to Work pilot areas and (ii) in other areas in each year since the pilots began.

Margaret Hodge: The available information is in the table.
	
		Proportion of incapacity benefit claimants ending their claim within six months Percentage
		
			 Quarter Pathways to Work pilot areas Other areas Pathways to Work pilot areas Other areas 
		
		
			 October to December 2003(35) 49 35 40 31 
			 January to March 2004 46 33 36 29 
			 April to June 2004 44 34 33 28 
			 July to September 2004 43 34 31 28 
			 October to December 2004 45 36 35 31 
			 January to March 2005 44 36 33 30 
			 April to May 2005(36) 44 36 33 29 
		
	
	(35) Figures are from 27 October 2003 when the first phase of the pilots started.
	(36) Current benefits data does not allow six month off-flow analysis after May 2005.
	Note:
	1. Six month off-flows by quarter have been provided because data is only available for one full year.
	2. Figures do not include a proportion of short-term incapacity benefit claims, which flow on and off between scan dates; the off-flows presented will be lower than actual rates, but trends over time will be consistent.
	Source:
	DWP—National Benefits Database

Incapacity Benefit

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's targets are for reducing incapacity benefit claimants for (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010 and (e) 2011.

Anne McGuire: In January we published our Green Paper: "A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering people to work", which set out our proposal to significantly reduce the number of people claiming incapacity benefits. These include proposals to improve workplace health, reform of the gateway onto benefits, increased support for claimants and removing the perverse incentives in the system.
	While it is difficult to model the precise impact of these measures, the Green Paper set out our aspiration to reduce the number of claimants of incapacity benefits by one million over the course of the decade through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals.
	The information requested is not available, as we have not set formal targets for reducing the IB caseload in the years 2007 to 2011.

New Deal

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of new deal for young people leavers took up (a) unsubsidised and (b) subsidised employment in (i) the private sector, (ii) the public sector and (iii) the voluntary and social enterprise sector in each year since the programme began.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the sector in which either a subsidised or unsubsidised job is gained through new deal for young people is not available.

New Deal

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what percentage of participants in the (a) new deal 25 plus and (b) new deal for young people programmes who started the programmes (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times and (v) more than four times were educated to (A) GCSE, (B) NVQ, (C) A level and (D) degree level in each year since the programmes began;
	(2)  what percentage of (a) new deal 25 plus and (b) new deal for young people leavers who left the programme and commenced (i) employment, (ii) a combination of employment and benefits and (iii) claiming benefits had been educated to (A) GCSE, (B) NVQ, (C) A level and (D) degree level in each year since the scheme began.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available.

New Deal

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) people and (b) over 25s in Beverley and Holderness who left the New Deal have found a sustained job in each year since its inception.

Margaret Hodge: The measure of sustainability for jobs gained when leaving the New Deal programme differs across the New Deals. In the case of New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus, employment is regarded as sustained if a person gaining a job through these New Deals does not claim Jobseeker's Allowance for at least 13 weeks after gaining employment and leaving the programme.
	Employment sustainability for those participating on New Deal for Lone Parents is measured by employment records held by H.M Revenue and this measure has been used since October 2005. If a person leaves New Deal for Lone Parents to a job, and they are recorded through Revenue records as still being in that job 13 weeks later, their employment is recorded as sustained.
	A measure of job sustainability for New Deal 50 plus and New Deal for Partners is not available. Information on New Deal for Disabled People is not available at constituency level.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		New Deal in Beverley and Holderness—leavers to sustained employment
		
			  People leaving New Deal to sustained employment(37) of which, left New Deal 25 plus to sustained employment(38) 
		
		
			 April to December 1998 60 — 
			 January to December 1999 220 — 
			 January to December 2000 170 — 
			 January to December 2001 210 20 
			 January to December 2002 180 40 
			 January to December 2003 200 50 
			 January to December 2004 210 40 
			 January to August 2005 100 20 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Includes people who have left New Deal for Young People since January 1998 and New Deal for Lone Parents since October 2005 to sustained employment. Also includes people who have left New Deal 25 plus since April 2001 to sustained employment.
	2. The immediate destination of people leaving New Deal 25 plus is only available from April 2001.
	3. Latest available data is to August 2005.
	4. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, DWP

New Deal

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-focused interviews have been carried out by his Department under the new deal for lone parents (a) in each year since the inception of the programme and (b) in each of the last 12 calendar months, broken down by the respective qualifying period for interviews under the scheme.

Margaret Hodge: New deal for lone parents started in October 1998. All lone parents claiming income support are invited to attend a voluntary meeting with a personal adviser. This meeting is known as a new deal for lone parents initial interview and so far 1,158,000 have been held.
	In April 2001 mandatory meetings for lone parents were introduced, known as work focused interviews. Work focused interviews are conducted at the outset of the benefit claim and at set points during the claim, usually six months, 12 months and then annually. The frequency can also depend on the age of the youngest child, and the lone parent's duration on benefit. For example, quarterly work focused interviews are currently being introduced nationally for lone parents who have been claiming income support for more than 12 months, and who have a youngest child aged 14 or 15.
	There have been 2,217,900 lone parent work focused interviews, the figures for each year and for the last 12 months are in the tables.
	
		Lone Parent Work Focused Interviews
		
			  Initial interviews 6 month review meetings Annual review meetings 
		
		
			 April 2001-March 2002 124,200 — — 
			 April 2002-March 2003 244,300 18,400 24,300 
			 April 2003-March 2004 388,100 56,200 82,800 
			 April 2004-March 2005 382,000 98,900 212,100 
			 April 2005-December 2005 303,500 83,600 199,500 
			 Total 1,442,200 257,100 518,700 
		
	
	
		Lone parent work focused interviews January to December 2005
		
			 As at 2005: Initial interviews 6 month review meetings Annual review meetings 
		
		
			 January 34,700 10,000 20,200 
			 February 34,900 9,500 22,100 
			 March 35,200 10,300 23,500 
			 April 31,900 9,800 19,300 
			 May 31,000 9,200 19,600 
			 June 33,200 9,300 23,600 
			 July 31,300 8,800 22,100 
			 August 37,300 9,600 20,600 
			 September 41,500 9,600 22,200 
			 October 35,700 9,500 24,000 
			 November 34,200 10,600 28,500 
			 December 27,400 7,200 19,500 
			 Total 408,300 113,400 265,200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures refer to total number of work focused interviews attended.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred; therefore the totals may not be a sum of the elements.
	Source:
	National Lone Parent Evaluation database (0512).

Poverty

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of increasing either benefit or tax credit payments to levels which will bring all families with children below the poverty line to a position above the poverty line.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available.
	Our long-term strategy to meet the child poverty target is not based exclusively on increasing financial support for families. Evidence clearly shows that work is the best route out of poverty for those who are able to work and our strategy focuses on policies to enable parents to participate in the labour market, as well as providing financial support.
	The other element of the strategy is the delivery of excellent public services that improve the life chances of children living in poverty and help break the cycle of deprivation. Our child poverty strategy is set out in Opportunity for All and in the Child Poverty Review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review White Paper.

Poverty

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children in families with (a) a lone parent, (b) married parents or step-parents and (c) cohabiting parents or step-parents are in poverty; and what research he has conducted on the equivalent figures in other (i) EU and (ii) G8 countries.

Margaret Hodge: Specific information on children living in low income households in Great Britain by family type is available in the latest publication of the "Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2004–05". The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	The data requested is in the table.
	
		Proportion of children by family type living in households with income less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, Great Britain, 2004–05
		
			  Before housing costs After housing costs 
		
		
			 Lone parent 39 43 
			 Married parents or married step-parents 15 19 
			 Co-habiting parents or co-habiting step-parents 23 29 
		
	
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey
	The Department for Work and Pensions provides low-income figures for lone parent and couple families in the UK to the EU. The Department has not carried out specific research on equivalent figures for EU or G8 countries.
	International comparisons are important because the Government aspire to be among the very best performers in Europe on child poverty, competing with the record of countries such as Sweden and Denmark. A focus on income before housing costs; as adopted in our Spending Review 2004 target; supports this, as this is used across other European Union countries.
	"Measuring child poverty", published in December 2003, compares findings with our European Union counterparts. It showed that the UK had the highest child poverty rate in Europe in 1999 (29 per cent.) but, according to latest data for 2003, we are now closer to the EU average (23 per cent.). European comparisons are made using data from the European Household Panel Study, and are not comparable with figures using the Family Resources Survey. Data from 2003 remains the most up to date as this was the last year that data was produced for the UK using this dataset. UK comparisons across Europe will be measured using the European Union Survey of Income and Living Conditions (EUSILC) from autumn 2005.
	While we have not made comparisons across the G8 countries, "Child Poverty in Rich Nations 2005", a UNICEF report on child poverty highlights the progress we have started to make in halving child poverty by 2010 and eliminating it by 2020. The report also showed that the UK has made more progress on reducing child poverty than any other country in the OECD in the years from 1991 to 2000.

Single Parents (Benefits)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the relative level of (a) in-work and (b) out-of-work benefits paid to single parents; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The exact level of in and out of work support that a lone parent will receive is dependent on their circumstances and income, including child support and housing tenure. These vary considerably among lone parents.
	Since 1997 the Government have made a number of improvements to the tax and benefit system to ensure that work pays. We have developed an effective strategy for helping more lone parents make the transition from benefits and into work which combines child care assistance, financial support for those entering work and provision of work focused advice and support.
	In 1998 we introduced the national minimum wage, which currently stands at £5.05 per hour for those aged 22 and over. The child and working tax credits introduced in April 2003 will help tackle child poverty and make work pay for all families, including lone parents.
	A lone parent with two children, moving into work on the national minimum wage, with child care costs of £80 per week, will be financially better off by around £56 per week. This could be increased by any child support maintenance received, as this is disregarded in full for tax credit purposes.
	Generally, a lone parent who is not in work can access all relevant benefits— though what they qualify for will depend on individual circumstances. The large majority of lone parents on benefit claim income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit. They will also receive child benefit. Their individual circumstances may also allow them to claim certain premiums within their income support entitlement, such as the disabled child or carer premiums. Being in receipt of income support also entitles them to free school meals for their children and free prescriptions and eye tests.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, columns 449–50W, on Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments, how many people attended A&E walk-in centres in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05 in (i) England and (ii) the Countess of Chester hospital.

Liam Byrne: "A&E Walk in Centres" describes data on all national health service walk in centres collected through Quarterly Monitoring of Key Standards and Targets: Accident and Emergency, England (QMAE). 1,381,841 and 2,031,430 attendances at NHS walk in centres were reported in England through the QMAE data set in 2003–04 and 2004–05 respectively. Attendances are defined as visits to a walk in centre that result in the attender being seen by a clinician. There is not and never has been an NHS walk in centre at the Countess of Chester hospital so it is not possible to supply the data requested in respect of this service.

Advertising and Marketing Campaigns

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by her Department in 2005–06 on advising the NHS on advertising and marketing by individual hospitals.

Liam Byrne: To date, there has been no specific expenditure on advising the national health service on advertising and marketing by individual hospitals. The Department's advice to the NHS on this issue is contained within paragraphs 4.19–4.21 of "The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2006–07", which was published on 26 January 2006.

Advertising and Marketing Campaigns

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, columns 454–55W, on departmental advertising campaigns, if she will list the amounts spent on the campaigns listed in each of the past five years.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the amount of expenditure on major information campaigns and advertising commissioned by the Department's communications directorate in the past five years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Antibiotics — 0.44 0.44 0.42 — 
			 CALM — 0.05 0.13 — — 
			 Drugs 0.52 — 1.52 1.6 0.99 
			 Flu 2.02 1.45 2.0 1.6 1.5 
			 Hepatitis C — — — — — 
			 Immunisation — 0.67 1.0 2.0 0.05 
			 Mind Out — 0.13 0.16 — — 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 4.9 5.00 4.23 4.9 5.84 
			 NHS Direct 0.21 1.08 0.58 0.75 — 
			 Organ donation 0.43 0.18 0.22 — — 
			 Prescription fraud 1.35 — 0.30 — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy — 2.00 1.6 2.08 — 
			 Sexual Health — 0.3 1.5 1.5 1.26 
			 Social care recruitment — 0.83 1.24 4.62 2.14 
			 Smoking 8.97 7.79 7.87 17.76 24.00 
			 Tuberculosis awareness — 0.30 0.09 — — 
			 Walk-in centres 0.37 0.02 — — 0.20 
			 Winter (Get the right treatment, Ask about medicines day) 2.03 0.16 0.25 1.75 0.59 
			 Promoting new NHS services — — — — 0.85 
			 E111 — — — — 0.32 
			 Total 20.80 20.40 23.13 38.98 37.8

Advertising and Marketing Campaigns

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 976W, on hospitals, when she expects to issue guidelines for advertising by hospitals.

Liam Byrne: All advertising should present accurate and fair information about services. No activity should be undertaken which undermines the reputation of the national health service. These initial principles to safeguard patients and the public are already set out in "The NHS in England: the operating framework for 2006–07".
	The Department are now working with key stakeholders such as the NHS Confederation, the Foundation Trust Network, NHS Partners and the Healthcare Commission to develop further guidance, which will be published later in the year.

Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 1064W, to the hon. Member for Worthing, West (Peter Bottomley) on hearing services, how regularly she intends to publish the monthly commissioner-based data for waiting times and activity for pure tone audiometry; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Monthly commissioner-based data will be published. As with many new data collections, it may take a number of months of collection before the data is of sufficient quality to be publishable.

Cerebral Palsy

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been to the national health service of treatment for cerebral palsy in each of the last 20 years.

Liam Byrne: Information on the cost to the national health service of specific conditions, including cerebral palsy, is not collected.

Community Hospitals

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the number of beds available in community hospitals in (a) Kingston and Surbiton, (b) South West London and (c) London.

Jane Kennedy: The Department collects data on the number of available and occupied hospital beds from trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs). Trusts and PCTs are not required to submit their data on an individual hospital basis. Aggregated data by trust or PCT are available on the Department's website for hospital activity at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_requests/beds_open_overnight.htm

Continuing Care (Funding)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what procedures she has put in place to ensure that (a) community care nurses, (b) social workers and (c) review panels observe her directive of 3 March requiring (i) them to be familiar with and (ii) act in accordance with the implications of judgments in the Coughlan and Grogan cases relating to the funding of continuing NHS care;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure that all refusals of fully-funded NHS continuing care prior to 3 March are re-considered in light of her directive of that date;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of implementing her directive of 3 March on NHS continuing care with retrospective effect.

Liam Byrne: Department guidance to strategic health authorities following the "Grogan" judgment makes it clear that it is their responsibility to ensure that their continuing care eligibility criteria and assessment processes are operating in line with legal rulings. Strategic health authorities are required to disseminate guidance internally, and satisfy themselves that correct procedures are being followed.
	If a strategic health authority revises its eligibility criteria or processes following legal advice in light of the "Grogan" judgment, the guidance requires strategic health authorities to determine, based on local circumstances, which individuals or groups of individuals may be at highest risk of having been wrongly assessed. It is the responsibility of the health authority to assess potential for any changes to impact on individuals and act accordingly. The Department cannot pre-judge the outcome of strategic health authorities taking legal advice regarding the lawfulness of their continuing care processes.

Dentistry

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are (a) registered and (b) not registered with an NHS dentist in the Easington primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the number of people not registered with a national health service dentist is not collected centrally. However the number of general dental service and personal dental service patients seen as at 30 November 2005 was 42,458. An estimate of the percentage of patients registered with an NHS dentist in the Easington primary care trust area is shown in the table.
	The proportion of people registered within the Easington primary care trust as at November 2005 (last available data) was 46 per cent. (estimated).
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS)
		
			  Easington PCT Estimate of the percentage patients registered(44) 
		
		
			 Adults 44 
			 Children 50 
			 All 46 
		
	
	(44) Using population estimates at 2004.
	Notes:
	1. The percentages of the population registered with a dentist, or registration rate, have been estimated by including patient registrations in the area of the dentist, that is according to the postcode of the dental surgery and not the patient's address. So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live.
	2. Estimates have been calculated using population estimates for the nearest year for which data are available. 2005 percentages have been calculated using 2004 mid-year population estimates.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made for transport from home to hospital of (a) severely disabled people and (b) severely disabled people where the carer is unable to drive.

Liam Byrne: The publication "Ambulance and other patient transport services: Operation, use and performance standards" provides guidance on the eligibility criteria for patient transport services (PTS) and is available in the Library. This document states that medical need for non-emergency patient transport must be determined by a doctor, dentist or midwife and will depend upon the medical condition of the individual patient, the availability of private or public transport and distance to be travelled. The principle which should apply is that each patient should be able to reach hospital in a reasonable time and in reasonable comfort, without detriment to their medical condition.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that there is provision of ambulance services (which could include patient transport services) to such extent as they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. Therefore, it is for the local national health service to decide who provides patient transport services for eligible patients in their area. PCTs should apply the principles outlined in the aforementioned publication to consider each case on its merits or to develop local criteria for patient transport services use. The White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" signals our intent to broaden eligibility to patients referred for treatment in out of hospital settings, and during 2006–07 we will update guidance on eligibility for PTS to reflect the changes outlined in the White Paper.
	Patients that do not have a medical need for ambulance transport and who are on low incomes, or in receipt of benefits or tax credits, may be eligible for reimbursement of their travel expenses under the hospital travel costs scheme.

Elderly Care Provision

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the level of mental stimulation provided for elderly people who are cared for (a) by relatives and (b) in residential accommodation; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will take steps to ensure that elderly people (a) in their own homes and (b) in residential accommodation have free access to companionship and social interaction.

Liam Byrne: The rights of older people in residential accommodation to enjoy mental stimulus, companionship and social interaction are covered in the existing "Care Homes for Older People—National Minimum Standards", a copy of which is available in the Library. The Commission for Social Care Inspection inspects homes against the national minimum standards (NMS), when assessing compliance with the Care Homes Regulations 2001. The NMS address the topic from various perspectives, including the rights of service users to engage in social and community activities and interests, meeting and maintaining contact with friends and family, religious or cultural requirements, the suitability of residential home premises and the social value of meals and mealtimes.
	Since October 2004, the Government have been engaged in a review of the NMS and the associated legislative framework for adult social care. The review is a key element in the modernisation of social care regulation and will update the statutory framework for which the Government are responsible.

Failing Hospitals

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under the health reform in England proposals, whether the (a) geographical distance and (b) quality of transport links to alternative effective hospitals will be taken into account in the decision over whether a failing hospital is to be required to close.

Jane Kennedy: Making decisions on local health care provision, including the closure of hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population and its representatives. To support the consultation and decision making process the Department has issued two guidance documents:
	"Strengthening Accountability: Involving Patients and the Public—Policy Guidance Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001" (February 2003).
	"Overview and Scrutiny of Health—Guidance" (July 2003).
	The recently published document, "Health Reform in England: Update and Next Steps" does not make specific mention of the issues that national health service organisations should take into account when deciding whether a failing hospital is to be required to close.

General Practitioners

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 3.22 of "Our health, Our care, Our say", how many and what percentage of general practitioner practice lists are open but full; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The new general medical services contract provides for practice patient lists to be either open or closed to new registrations. The Department does not therefore hold information of the number of practices who are claiming to have lists which are open but full. However, we do recognise that some practices may face capacity pressures and don't accept new registrations although they are not formally closed. The recent White Paper commits us to improving the closed list arrangements so that there is clarity for patients on whether a practice is open for new registrations. We intend to work with the NHS Employers and the British Medical Association to deliver that commitment.

Health Reform in England; Update and Next Steps

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in respect of the proposed NHS reforms outlined in 'Health Reform in England; update and next steps', whether the (a) general practitioner (b) primary care trust and (c) hospital will decide whether or not to admit a patient to hospital for treatment.

Liam Byrne: Under the framework of reforms outlined in "Health reform in England", general practitioners (GPs) will remain responsible for deciding whether to refer a patient to hospital. Hospital doctors will continue to be responsible for taking clinical decisions to admit for treatment and will also continue to decide whether to admit in cases of emergencies.
	GPs, primary care trusts and national health service trusts will work together to ensure patients have access to high quality services in the most appropriate and convenient setting.

Health Service Management

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS trusts and (b) health authorities (i) are operating and (ii) have operated in the last three financial years with acting or seconded (A) directors and (B) senior executives.

Liam Byrne: This information is not collected centrally.

Health Services

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for sexually transmitted infections in Hyndburn in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information relating to the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust data is shown in the following table.
	
		Count of patients—primary diagnosis STDs, HIV/AIDS—Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT. National health service hospitals England, 1997–98 and 2004–05
		
			  Patient counts 
		
		
			 1997–98 14 
			 2004–05 11 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Patient counts:
	Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier hospital episode statistic identification (HESID). This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell.
	2. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis):
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. Primary care trust (PCD and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality:
	PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002–03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997–98 and 1998–99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.
	4. Ungrossed data:
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is the data is ungrossed.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Health Services

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding the Department has provided to (a) Wakefield West Primary Care Trust and (b) the NHS for dental services in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The main element of national health service dental services are the primary dental care services provided by dentists working within the general dental services (GDS), or personal dental services (PDS) pilots. Gross and net expenditure on the GDS is shown in table 1. The table also includes gross expenditure on PDS pilots, but it is not possible to provide similar data for net PDS expenditure as patient charge income is not separately identified in NHS accounts. Based on estimates from Dental Practice Board (DPB) payments data, we estimate that PDS expenditure in 2004–05 net of patient charge income was around £240 million.
	
		Table 1: Expenditure on GDS and PDS, England £ million
		
			  Gross GDS(47) Net GDS(48) Gross PDS(49) 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,348 959 0 
			 1998–99 1,438 1,018 4 
			 1999–2000 1,477 1,046 13 
			 2000–01 1,561 1,109 22 
			 2001–02 1,638 1,166 36 
			 2002–03 1,709 1,222 41 
			 2003–04 1,767 1,283 48 
			 2004–05 1,671 1,246 (50)280 
		
	
	(47) Expenditure data for 1997–98 to 1999–2000 are based on cash data in Appropriation Accounts. Data from 2000–01 onwards are based on the relevant resource accounts data from health authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs). This is to reflect the change in Department's accountancy practices.
	(48) Net expenditure represents the cost of the service after taking account of dental charge income collected from patients.
	(49) NHS accounts data up to 2004–05 do not separately identify all elements of PDS gross expenditure. See note 4 for 2004–05 data.
	(50) An estimate of gross PDS expenditure based on payments data obtained from the DPB.
	The level of expenditure on hospital and community dental services is decided at local level by PCTs.
	GDS is currently a non-discretionary service funded from a national budget where expenditure is mainly determined by the volume of NHS work that dentists choose to undertake. Local budget allocations are not assigned to individual PCTs. Data on the level of expenditure within the area of the Wakefield West PCT, drawn from payments data obtained from the DPB, are shown in table 2. Payment data are only attributable to individual PCT areas from 2000–01 onwards.
	
		Table 2: GDS and PDS dental payments within Wakefield West PCT £ million
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Gross GDS and PDS payments(51)(52)(53) 4.642 5.211 5.125 5.456 6.047 
			 Net GDS and PDS payments(54) 3.08 3.626 3.533 3.861 4.657 
		
	
	(51) Gross GDS payments include adult fees (including item of service and continuing care payments), child fees (including item of service and capitation payments), commitment payments and point of treatment check payment training (in 2001 only), seniority payments, maternity/paternity/adoptive leave payments, long-term sick leave payments, continuing professional development allowances including travel hours, reimbursement of business rates, vocational training grants, vocational trainee salaries and NI contribution costs, clinical audit convenors, clinical audit payments, clinical audit secretarial support and travel expenses. Employer's superannuation costs are excluded.
	(52) PDS payment data are included for 2004–05 only and relate to baseline payments or the agreed regular monthly payments made to PDS practices. Reliable PDS data at practice level are not available prior to 2004–05. The data cannot identify the cost of any PDS services that may be provided in Wakefield West that are directly managed by local NHS trusts, such as certain dental access centres.
	(53) Payments are assigned to PCT area on the basis of practice postcode data.
	(54) Net payments represent the balance of payments due after taking account of NHS dental charge income collected from patients by dental practices.

Health Trainers

Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many health trainers are employed in the NHS; what minimum qualifications are required for the post; and at what rate of salary they are employed;
	(2)  how many health trainers she estimates will be employed in the NHS when the proposals in her recent White Paper on Community Services (Cm 6737) are fully implemented; and what the total annual cost to public funds will be of employing them.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 February 2006
	As was announced to Parliament on 20 July 2005
	"Primary care trusts and their partners, especially the spearhead primary care trusts, are planning to recruit, train, and fund health trainers from April 2006 when this funding comes on stream."
	The national health service health trainer programme is in the early adopter phase, comprising some 150 primary care trusts (PCTs) including all 88 spearhead PCTs.
	There are currently 214 NHS health trainers recruited to the programme, of which 192 are now under, or have completed, training.
	Choosing health money has been allocated to provide 1,200 NHS health trainers by the end of financial year 2006–07.
	The employment requirements are that health trainers satisfy the mandatory core competences supplied by the Department. The core competences are being finalised during the early adopter phase which finishes 31 March 2006.
	Currently the national profile for a health trainer under agenda for change is being agreed, once it is finalised there will be a clear rate of salary for health trainers.
	Salary is still under negotiation through the agenda for change process.
	A breakdown of where the money has been spent and cost centres is shown in the table.
	
		NHS health trainers provision and expenditure £ million
		
			  Provision 
			  2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 Securing health care for those who need it 5.00 — — 
			 PCT allocations — 36.00 77.00 
			 Securing social care and child protection for those who need it and, at national level, protecting, promoting and improving the nation's health 2.20 2.0 2.0

Learning Disabilities

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the Valuing People initiative on the services provided to people with learning difficulties; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her latest estimate is of the number of people with learning difficulties (a) who have been assessed as needing support and (b) who have not received the assessed support from district care trusts in (i) Bradford district, (ii) Yorkshire and (iii) England in a one-year period;
	(3)  how much has been given to primary care trusts in (a) Bradford district, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England to provide support for people with learning disabilities in each of the last eight years.

Liam Byrne: The Government's third report on learning disability, "Valuing People: Making things better" was published in November 2005. The report details what the Government has done during 2004 for people with learning disabilities and also details what our next steps will be. This is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/38/69/04123869.pdf
	The number of people with learning difficulties who have been assessed as needing support is not held centrally.
	The learning disability development fund (LDDF) was introduced in 2002–03. Revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) from the LDDF are shown in the table.
	From 2003–04 to 2005–06 LDDF capital allocations of £20 million per annum were made as part of strategic capital allocations to strategic health authorities (SHAs). The LDDF is not separately identified in SHA capital allocations.
	The LDDF is only a small part of the funding available to PCTs for learning disabilities services. PCTs also have money available to them through specialist budgets, continuing care budgets and their mainstream budgets for example, where they can draw funding from to fund learning disabilities services. It is up to PCTs to decide how they allocate funds.
	
		
			 £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Bradford district(55) 183 188 193 407 
			 Yorkshire(56) 1,763 1,927 1.973 4,138 
			 England 19,598 21,052 19,232 41,595 
		
	
	(55) Bradford district is defined as Bradford Health Authority for 2002–03 and Airedale PCT, Bradford City PCT, Bradford South and West PCT and North Bradford PCT for 2003–04 onwards
	(56) Yorkshire is defined as North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA), South Yorkshire SHA and West Yorkshire SHA.

Learning Disabilities

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring forward proposals to make the provision of respite care for people with learning disabilities a statutory duty of local authorities.

Liam Byrne: This Government introduced the Carers Grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and services for carers in England, including those who support people with learning disabilities. The grant has increased each year and has provided an extra £635 million over the past six years. We have confirmed that it will be worth £185 million in 2006–07 and in 2007–08. This will mean that, by 2008, we will have invested over £l billion in services and support for carers of all groups.
	In addition, we have listened to the considerable public support for carers throughout our extensive consultation process prior to the publication of the white paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say". As a result, we propose to offer a new deal for carers to improve support for them through a range of measures. This will include ensuring that a short-term, home based respite support to all carers in crisis or emergency situations is established in each council's area.

Long-range Capacity Planning

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has issued to strategic health authorities on long-range capacity planning.

Jane Kennedy: A range of guidance was issued to strategic health authorities (SHAs) for the period 2006–07 to 2007–08. These include guidance on capacity planning and local delivery plans.
	The Department has also issued guidance on "Developing an Estate Strategy" to achieve future service requirements; and on how to prepare a strategic service development plan for primary and community based health services for use by primary care trusts.
	Copies of guidance is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Mesothelioma

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research has been commissioned by her Department on the treatment and diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Jane Kennedy: None directly, however, the Department is funding the national cancer research network which is providing national health service infrastructure support for five mesothelioma studies funded by its research partners. Details of these studies can be found on the network's website at www.ncrn.org.uk.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with the treatment and care of people with mesothelioma, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

National Programme for Information Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 469W, on the NHS IT programme, how the contracts with (a) iSoft and (b) System C Healthcare fit into the programme.

Liam Byrne: iSoft is a subcontractor of Accenture, the local service provider (LSP) for the national programme for information technology's North East and Eastern regional clusters. iSoft is also a subcontractor in the CSC Alliance, the LSP for the North West and West Midlands cluster. iSoft is the main supplier of clinical software for these clusters.
	System C Healthcare is a subcontractor of both Accenture and the CSC Alliance, and provides expertise on the installation and implementation of patient record systems at national health service trusts.

NHS Staff

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) nurses and (b) consultants, broken down by specialism, were recruited from abroad in each (i) strategic health authority, (ii) Government office region and (iii) Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust in the last 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of the total employed in each category these figures represent;
	(2)  how much was spent on recruiting (a) nurses and (b) consultants from abroad, broken down by specialism, in each (i) strategic health authority, (ii) Government office region and (iii) the Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust in the last 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of the total employed in each category these figures represent.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Tariff Uplift

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1322W, on the NHS Tariff Uplift, for what reasons the tariff uplift of 4 per cent. between 2005–06 and 2006–07 given in the Answer differs from the statement in paragraph 5.2, page 18 of her Department's document of 26 January 2006, The NHS in England: the operating framework in 2006–07, that the overall weighted increase across the full tariff in 2006–07 is 1.5 per cent.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 10 March 2006.
	Paragraph 34 of 'Implemention Payments by Results: Technical Guidance 2006–07; Executive Summary', published on January 26 2006 and available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/73/76/04127376.pdf, explains the difference between the 4.0 per cent. tariff uplift and 1.5 per cent. increase in the overall weighted value of the tariff between 2005–06 and 2006–07. Copies of this document are available in the Library.

Orthodontics

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve orthodontic treatment provision in Shropshire.

Rosie Winterton: The Department published guidance on 17 February 2006. This guidance "Factsheet 11—Orthodontic new PDS agreements and new GDS contracts" can be found on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/03/20/04130320.pdf.
	This guideline takes into account discussions with the British Orthodontic Society and encompasses the new arrangements for orthodontic acre and treatment.

Osteomalacia/Osteoporosis

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of (a) osteomalacia and (b) osteoporosis was in the UK in each of the last five years; and what the annual expenditure on the treatment of osteomalacia and osteoporosis was in each year.

Liam Byrne: Table 1 shows the incidence of osteomalacia and osteoporosis from 2000–01 to 2004–05.
	
		Table 1: All diagnoses count of patients for selected diagnoses national health service hospitals England, 2000–01 to 2004–05
		
			  Patient counts 
			  Osteomalacia Osteoporosis 
		
		
			 2000–01 837 48,671 
			 2001–02 1,050 56,454 
			 2002–03 971 56,027 
			 2003–04 911 57,849 
			 2004–05 783 62,443 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	We do not hold data which links treatment to disease and therefore cannot say how much was spent on treating a specific disease. The drugs used to treat osteomalacia and osteoporosis are also used to treat other disease. We are unable to provide a breakdown of the expenditure by the disease it was used to treat.
	The amount spent in each of the last five years are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Expenditure
		
			  Cost (£ million) 
		
		
			 2000 1.99 
			 2001 2.43 
			 2002 2.36 
			 2003 2.40 
			 2004 2.48

Parliamentary Questions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer Question number 38287 tabled on 13 December by the hon. Member for Romsey.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 March 2006, Official Report, column 1204W.

Pregnancy

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to enable each pregnant woman to be cared for by one midwife throughout pregnancy;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to provide more choice for women in (a) (i) where and (ii) how their babies are delivered and (b) the use of pain relief in labour.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 March 2006
	The maternity standard of the national service framework for children outlines the importance of continuity of support by a named midwife throughout a woman's pregnancy. This is reinforced by the manifesto commitment, which states that by 2009
	"every woman should be supported by a named midwife throughout her pregnancy",
	and that she will have a choice over
	"where and how women have their baby and what pain relief to use".
	More recently, in the White Paper, "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say", the Government have made three further commitments to achieving a world-class maternity service.

Residential Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in West Lancashire receiving residential care have the cost of the care paid for them by the NHS.

Liam Byrne: In the local delivery planning return for March 2005, West Lancashire primary care trust reported that is was funding continuing care placements for 121 people.
	The primary responsibility for supporting people who cannot afford to meet the full cost of residential care from their own resources rests with the council with social services responsibility. The latest information on local authority supported residents, including residents in the area of Lancashire county council, is available in the statistical bulletin 'Community Care Statistics 2005: Supported Residents (Adults) England' on the NHS health and social care information website at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs

Sexual Offences Act

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been of care workers under sections 38 to 41 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, broken down by profession.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is provided in the following table. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the profession of the defendants as this information is not collected.
	
		Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under sections 38 to 41 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, England and Wales 2004 Number
		
			 Offence code  Principal statute  Offence description Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 7017 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.38(1–3) Care workers: sexual activity with a male person with a mental disorder—penetration 1 0 
			 7018 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.38(1–3) Care workers: sexual activity with a female person with a mental disorder—penetration 1 0 
			 7019 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.38(1,2,4) Care workers: sexual activity with a male person with a mental disorder—no penetration 0 0 
			 7020 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.38(1,2,4) Care workers: sexual activity with a female person with a mental disorder—no penetration 2 0 
			 7021 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.39(1–3) Care workers: causing or inciting sexual activity (person with a mental disorder)—penetration 0 0 
			 7022 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.39(1,2,4) Care workers: causing or inciting sexual activity (person with a mental disorder)—no penetration 0 0 
			 7023 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.40 Care workers: sexual activity in the presence of a person with a mental disorder 0 0 
			 7024 Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.41 Care workers: causing a person with a mental disorder impeding choice to watch a sexual act 0 0 
		
	
	1 These data are on the principal offence basis.
	Source:
	RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Strategic Health Authorities

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much she estimates will be top sliced from strategic health authority budgets in the year 2006–07;
	(2)  if she will reverse the decision to top slice primary care trust budgets to meet financial targets.

Jane Kennedy: The requirement for national health service organisations to bank reserves with their strategic health authority (SHA) was announced by the Department in "The NHS in England: the operating framework for 2006–07".
	The amount of reserve to be banked and the terms of the agreement will be agreed with their SHA. SHAs are responsible for the financial management of the organisations within their area and for delivering financial planning targets agreed with the Department. Holding financial reserves is a prudent approach to financial management, so the Department is encouraging SHAs to hold reserves because it will help them deliver their financial targets.
	There are no plans to top slice SHA budgets, but any net overspending by organisations within a SHA area in 2005–06 will result in a reduced allocation in 2006–07 for that SHA in line with Government resource accounting and budgeting rules on the carry forward of over and under spending.

Tourette's Syndrome

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what help and support is available for (a) parents, (b) professionals and (c) individuals dealing with Tourette's syndrome;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that health professionals are trained to recognise the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome;
	(3)  what steps her Department is taking to improve the general awareness of Tourette's syndrome.

Liam Byrne: A range of social, psychological and pharmacological interventions are available to support people living with Tourette's syndrome, their families and their carers. It is the responsibility of local health and social care organisations to commission appropriate services based on local needs.
	The national service framework for long-term conditions (NSF) has been published to help drive up quality and reduce variations in the care provided by health and social care organisations. Through its quality requirements, the NSF addresses a key range of issues including the need for equitable access to a range of services; good quality information and support for patients and carers and the ability to see a specialist and get the right investigations and diagnosis as quickly as possible.
	The Government recognise that one of the key determinants in delivering high quality and effective patient care is that health professionals have an appropriate level of skills and knowledge. Addressing the training needs of health professionals is, however, the responsibility of the appropriate regulatory bodies. They set standards for the pre-registration training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, approve the education institutions that provide the training and determine the curricula.
	Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are decided against local national health service priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service. Local authorities and health service providers decide how best to provide services to meet the needs of the individuals.
	We have no specific plans to raise public awareness of the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome. NHS Direct, NHS Direct on-line and NHS Direct interactive have been established to provide advice and information on health and self-care. Through these services, people have access to information on a range of conditions and illnesses, including Tourette's syndrome.

Turnaround Directors

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what she expects the total cost of turnaround directors to be; and whether the costs will be borne by (a) primary care trusts, (b) strategic health authorities and (c) the Department of Health.

Jane Kennedy: The turnaround teams were announced by the Secretary of State in a written ministerial statement on 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS.
	The first stage of this is a baseline assessment, the aim of which is to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions are in hand to address this. This was funded by the Department.
	Following the assessment, the local national health service will identify the actions needed to return the organisations to financial balance and what tailored support is needed to support local management. For the most challenged organisations, the first three months of a turnaround director will be funded by the Department. Otherwise, it is for the local NHS to decide on the funding streams.
	The Department will contract for the strategic health authority (SHA) turnaround directors to work alongside the transition SHA leaders.
	The Department has a budget of £6 million for turnaround work in 2005–06, which is expected to be far outweighed by the benefits of turnaround. Values of individual contracts are to be treated as commercial in confidence.
	I envisage that the turnaround teams will be needed to the end of 2006–07, when I expect the NHS to have returned to financial balance.